Lifting mechanism



2 Sheets-Sheet l I. VON K. HOTT LIFTING MECHANISM Filed Dec.

Aug. 16, 1932.

Aug. 16, 1932. A

i. VON K. HOTT LIFTING MECHANISM Filed Dec. 17, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2ATTR/VEY ff... a WwmsK Y as stops. Y

Patented Aug. 16, 1932 nmT-sDs-ITES Param I e' Ion von Krsna norm; ornAY'roNyfoHIo, Assreron 'ro kann roven-Calmann lczozlvr-Y rAnY, ornAYtronbHIo, AfconronAT-roiv; or onro MarnierV MECHANISM s Applicationmea vnetremila-r 17,1928. swarm. seams. 7

rlhis invention relates to a lifting mechanism and more particularly toamechanlsm .for elevating an automobile-to permit access to be had tothe chassis for thepurpose of lubricating the same. Y

One object of the invention is to provide a hydraulic liftingmechanism'which will be simple in its construction, eiiicient inoperationand which can be easily controlled.

A further obj ect of the invention is to provide such a mechanism withcontrolling means of such a character as to safeguard the mechanismagainst accidental release.

A further object of the invention is to provide a hydraulic mechanism inwhich the lifting element will be actuated by a liquid under airpressure; andtoprovide means whereby the air which has been used toactuate vthe lifting mechanism can be used for other purposes withoutreleasing the load.

, A further object of the invention is to provide such a liftingmechanism with runways Vhaving at their ends pivoted parts which may beplaced either in an inclined positionito guide the automobile ontotherunways'or maybe locked in elevated positions to serve A further objectof the invention is top-rovide means for supporting the runways withtheir lateral edges spaced above the supporting surface to preventinjury tothe operator in the event his foot should be partiallyl be#neath one of the runways when the load is lowered. V i

Other objects of the invention willr appear as the mechanism isdescribed in detail.

ln the accompanying drawings'Fig. l is a plan view of a liftingmechanism embodying my invention and partly broken away; Fig. 2 is avertical'k sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1 centrallythrough' the mechanism with the runways partly broken away; Fig. 3 is atransverse section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is asectional detail View of the controlling valve; Fig. 5 is a sectionaldetail view of the check yvalve for the air line; Fig. 6 is a sideelevation of the end portion of one of the runways showing theqpivotedmember or shoe inits lowered position; Fig. 7 isa similar viewshowing the pivoted member locked in an'el'evated l position; Fig. 8 isa transverse sectional view of one of the runways taken on the linel'8-8of Fig. l. Y

- In these drawings I have illustratedl eineV embodiment of-mypinvention butV it lwill be understood that this has been chosen forthe purpose ofillustration only, and Ithatvthe mechanism may takevarious forms and may be used for various purposes without depart- 1;ing fromV thespirit of the invention.

' In that particular embodiment ofthe invention here illustrated thelifting-'mechanism as a whole comprises a cylinder llO which preferablyis vembedded in the ground with its upper end adjacent toV the'surfaceYof the ground. Mounted within the cylinder l0 for vertical movementwithl relation VVthereto is a plunger or piston 11 with, which 'isconnected the load supporting device. As i Yhere shown, the 'plunger iscylindrical in form 'and is of such length that when inits Alowermostposition the upperV endl thereof Vwill project above-the cylinder.

Rigidly secured to the projecting upper end( of the'.

plunger is a casting 12 to which Vis rigidly to' retain the wheels`against lateral displacement, with relation to the runways.'` A

TheY plunger 11 is hollow and is closed at `its lowerfen'd by a head 16and at its upper end by a head 17. Both 'the cylinder and the plungerare adapted to contain-a liquid,V Vpreferably oil7 and when the plungeris in its lowermost position it willl be-filled with liquid: to al'pointspaced a short distance 'fromthe upper headl'.' The upper rend o f thecylinder is tightly closed and, in the present instance, a nbearingqmember H 118,1 is rigidly secured to' and arranged vwithin the upper Aend vof the cylinder to receive the plunger. n with a packing gland l9toseal the connec- 'tionbetween the same and the plungen vThe This bearingmember uis provided eo I.

bearing member has a downwardly extending portion 20 engaging theplunger some distance below the top of the cylinder and provided anelongated bearing which will brace the plunger against lateral strainsand which will be engaged by a stop or flange 21 at the lower end of theplunger to limit the upward movement of the plunger.

The interior of the plunger is connected with the cylinder by a suitableconduit so that the liquid maybe forced from the plunger through thisconduit and ,into the cylinder where it will act upon the lower end ofthe plunger to elevate the latter. The conduit may take various formsbut it is .preferably carried by the plunger and, in the presentconstruction, comprises a pipe 22 ex- `tending through the upper-head 17of the plunger to a point near the bottom of the plunger whereit haslopen communication with the interior thereof. A packing gland 23 sealsthe joint between the pipe and the Yhead 17. A second pipe 24 extendsthrough Ithe upper head 17 of the plunger, where it is provided with apacking gland 23a, through the full length of the plunger and throughthe lower head 16 thereof, so that it has open communication with thecylinder beneath the plunger. The upper or outer ends of the two pipes22 and 24 are connected one to the other and means are provided forcontrolling ,the iow of liquid therethrough. In order that thecontrolling means may be located for convenient operation I have,connected the upper end of the pipe 22 with a laterally extending pipe25 and have connected the upper end of the pipe 24 with a laterallyextending pipe 26. These pipes 25 and26 are substantially parallel andextend .transversely to the plunger to a point be- :yond one of therunways 14 where the ends .of the pipes 25 and 26 are connected one withthe other, this connection preferably comprising a valve 27. The valve27 is of such a character that normally it will operate to permit theliquid to pass from the pipe 25 of the conduit to the pipe 26 thereofand to pre-A .vent the passage of the liquid in a reverse direction.Manually operated means are provided for opening the valve to permit theliquid to flow in a reverse direction, that is,

.to pass from the pipe 26 to the pipe 25. As

here shown, the valve comprises a casing having mounted therein avertically movable valve stem 28 on which is mounted a valve member 29to control the port within ythe valvecasing. A spring 30 acts on thisvalve to hold the same normally on its seat but is of such strength thatit will yield to permit the valve to open under the pressure of theliquid in the pipe 25. The stem 28, vwhich is rigidly secured to thevalve member 29, projects above the upper end of the casing and isarranged to be engaged by a VVlever or operatinghandle 31 which ispivotally mounted on a bracket 32 carried by the valve casing.

The liquid in the plunger is preferably forced into the cylinder toactuate the plunger by introducing air under pressure into the f upperend of the plunger. As here shown, an air pipe 33 is mounted on theupper head 17 of the plunger and communicates with the interior of theplunger. This pipe extends .laterally from the Vplunger and its outerend is ydivided to provide two branches, one an inlet branch 34 and theother an outlet branch 35." The inlet branch 34 is provided with acoupling member 36 whereby it may be connected with a flexible hose 37leading to a source of supply of airunder pressure, such as an aircompressor or a high pressure storage tank. A check valve 38isinterposed in the inlet branch 34 of the air line to prevent the reverseflow of the air. Amanually operated valve 39 is interposed in the outletbranch of the air line ,to normally close the Same.

When air under Vpressure is delivered to the branch 34 ofthe air linethis air will be introduced into the upper end of the plunger 11 andwill force the liquid which is in the plunger outy through the conduit,consisting of the pipes 22, 24, 25,26 and the valve 27, which conduitwill ydeliver the liquid into the cylinder below the plunger, therebyforcing the plungerupward and lifting the load thereon. The valve 27will operate to prevent the reverse flow of the liquid through theconduit and .thereby retain the plunger in the position to which it hasbeen elevated. The valves in the air line being normally closed will4preventthe escapeof the air from the plunger and will also serve toretain the plunger in the position to vwhich it has been elevated.A In.order to lower the plunger it is necessary,'first, to relieve the airpressure .within the plunger and to then manually operate thecontrolling valve 27 to permit the.

`reverse flow ofthe liquid through the conll .The controlling'l valve isnormally closed Y against the lreverse flow of liquid and must be `heldopen by the ,operator in order to lower the load. By manipulating theVvalve to regulate the flow of liquid therethrough the vspeed at whichthe load is lowered may be controlled.

In the lubrication of an lautomobile it is 25 customary to spray thesprings with oil, compressed air being used for that purpose. ln

Vthepresent device, I have provided means whereby .the air underpressure which has been, utilized to elevate .the load may be used 1 30it/atea ing the load. To this end the air outlet pipe' 35 is -providedwith a coupling 40 by means of which it may be connected with a flexiblehose 4l leading to the oil spray. After the oil spray has been connectedwith the air line the valve 39 is opened and the air under pressurepermitted to pass to the oil spray, thus utilizing air under pressurewhich would otherwise be wasted. The controlling valve 27 of the liquidconduit being closed the withdrawal of the air under pressure will haveno effect upon the position of the plunger.

The runways 14 are provided with means for supporting the same out ofcontact with the supporting surface and, in the present instance, thesupporting means comprises transverse members 42 rigidly secured to theundersides of the runways, there being one of these supporting membersat each end of each runway. Each supporting member has its lateral lowerportions cut away so as to provide the same with a narrow central part43 which contacts with the supporting surface, thereby spacing thelateral portions of the supporting members such a distance from thesupporting surface that the foot of an operator will not be injured ifit should be inadvertently placed in the path of the supporting memberas the load is lowered. The runways are reinforced by means of trussrods 44 which extend over brackets 45, rigidly secured to the transverseframe member 13, and are rigidly secured at their ends to the respectivesupporting members 42.

Each runway is provided at each end thereof with an inclined portion orshoe 46 the outer end of which rests upon the supporting surface andserves to guide the wheels of the vehicle onto the runway. This shoe ispivotally mounted on the end of the runway so that it will yield andcause no injury should it strike the foot of the operator or any otherobstruction. As here shown, each shoe is provided at each side thereofwith an ear 47 rigidly secured thereto and having a slot 48 to receive apin 49 projecting from the adj acent flange l5 of the runway. The lowerportion of each ear is curved as shown at 50 and is of such length thatwhen the shoe is in its downwardly inclined position the curved end ofthe bracket will rest upon the upper surface of the supporting member48, thus providing a firm support for the shoe and maintaining the inneredge thereof in line withl tion, whichposition it will'seirve jasaistoip to prevent'the automobile from runningroif the runways.

If desired, the apparatus may be provided with a receptacle to receiveoil drained from the crankcase or other part of an automobile. In thepresent device a drain pan 52 is carried `by an arm 53 pivotally mountedat 54 on the lower' side'of one ofthe runways so that: it can be movedto various positions beneath the automobile. While I have shown but one'such drain pan it'will be obvious that a' similar pan maybe providedon'the opposite side of the frame member 13.

vWhile Ihave shown and described one embodiment of my invention I wishit to be understood that I donot desire to be limited to the detailsthereof as various modifications may occur to a person skilled in theart. IIaving now fully described my invention, what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

ll. Inan'A automobile lifting mechanism,

comprising a lifting `element mounted for vertical movement, means foractuating said lifting element, and a frame carried by .said liftingelement, runways mounted on said frame on opposite sides of saidlifting-element, each of said runways comprising an end portionpivotally lmounted thereon for movement either into a downwardlyinclined position or into an upwardlyV extending position, and meanslcontrolled by the movement of said portion of said runway to said upfwardly extending position to lock the same'in that position. Y

2. yIn an automobile lifting mechanism comprising-a liftingelementmounted for vertical movement,'means for actuating said endthereof a supporting member, a shoe rY arranged at said end of eachrunway, a locking member carried by said shoe, means for pivotally andslidably connecting said locking member with said'runway,said lockingmember being so arranged that when the, outf x er end of said shoe iselevated said locking member willbe moved into locking engagement withthe outer edge of said supporting memberto vretain said shoe in itselevated position. v l

3. In an automobileliftingmechanismcomy prising a lifting elementmounted for verti- .cal movement, means foractuating said liftingelement, and a frame carried by said lifting element; runways mounted onsaid frame on opposite sides of said lifting element, a supportingmember secured to each of said runways near the end thereof, a shoearranged at said end of said runway, ears secured to said shoe andhaving slots, pins carried by said runway and extending ISO through saidslots, each ofy said ears having its-lower portion. arranged to restupon said supporting member, and supportsaid shoe in proper relation tosaid runway,` when the outer end of said shoe is in its lowermost`position, said ears also having shoulders on their rear ends adapted tobe moved into line with the `outer edge of said supporting member whenthe outer end of said shoe is elevated and thereby lock saidvshoe in itselevated position` l 4. VIn an automobile lifting mechanism comprisinga. lifting element mounted for vertical movement, means for actuatingsaid lifting element, and a frame carriedvby said lifting element;runways mounted on said frame on opposite sides of said lifting element,each of said runways having a member connected with one end thereof formovement into either` a downwardly inclined position or an upwardlyextending position, said runway and said member having Cooperating partsarranged to be moved automatically into looking engagement one with theother when said member is moved to said upwardly extending position.

5. In an automobile lifting mechanism comprising a lifting elementmounted for vertical movement, means for actuating said lifting element,and a frame carried by said lifting element; runways mounted on saidframe on opposite sides of said lifting element, each of said runwayshaving a member connected with one end thereof for movement into eithera downwardly inclined position or an upwardly extending position, saidrunway and said member having cooperating parts rigid therewith and soarranged that the movement of said member to said upwardly extendingposition will cause said part of said member to move into lockingengagement with said part of said runway.

,6, In an automobile lifting mechanism comprising a lifting elementmounted for vertical movement and a runway carried by said liftingelement, a member pivotally mounted at oney end of said runway formovement rinto an upwardly extending position7 anda part carried by saidrunway to retain said member in saidupwardly extending position, saidmember and said part being so' arranged that they will be broughtautomaticallyr into retaining relation when said member is moved to saidupwardly extendm position.

im hereto- VION VON KERT HOTT.

testimony whereof, I aiiix my signature i

